The 20 deadliest jobs in America, ranked

Worker safety at risk

Is your job a killer? If it falls into one of these categories, the answer is: Could be. These are the country's 20 deadliest civilian jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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20. Social workers

1 death per 100,000

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, social workers face a risk of violence on the job. On July 6, 2017, Jody Herring (pictured) pled guilty to killing four people, including social worker Lara Sobel. Herring said she shot Sobel outside of a Department for Children and Family Services office after department officials took custody of her child.

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19. Architects and engineers

1.2 deaths per 100,000

Architects (such as Frank Gehry, seen here) are exposed to heights and heavy machinery during construction of their designs. In September 2016, architect Bruno Travalja fell to his death from the roof of a 48-story New York building after growing dizzy while taking measurements.

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18. Arts, design, sports and entertainment workers

2.4 deaths per 100,000

In 2015, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Ricardo Lockette suffered a near-fatal blow during a game against the Dallas Cowboys: "If one of my teammates had come over and pulled my arm just barely, I might have died."

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17. Manufacturing and production workers

3 deaths per 100,000

Factory workers, including those working in food-production facilities, face dangers from repetitive motion, exposure to pathogens and fatal injury from machines or tools.

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16. Janitors and pest control specialists

5.8 deaths per 100,000

Repeated exposure to harsh chemicals, disease-carrying pests and human waste has proven fatal in the past.

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15. Firefighters and police officers

6.2 deaths per 100,000

Rushing into danger is part of the job description for first responders, such as firefighters and police officers.

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14. Mechanics and their supervisors

7.6 deaths per 100,000

Mechanics rely on equipment being in perfect condition to avoid potentially fatal injury in the workplace.

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13. Miners and mining foremen

11.4 deaths per 100,000

At its current fatality rate, occupational fatalities in the mining industry occur at more than three times the national average. Collapses, rockslides and machinery accidents account for many deaths among miners.

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12. Construction workers and electricians

12.5 deaths per 100,000

According to OSHA, construction workers are most commonly killed by falls, blows or crushing from heavy objects, and electrocutions. These accidents accounted for more than 64 percent of construction worker deaths in 2015.

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11. Taxi drivers

14.7 deaths per 100,000

Car accidents can be deadly, but taxi drivers also suffer the highest murder rate of any occupation.

10. Tree-trimmers and lawn maintenance workers

9. Line workers

Both electrical and telecommunications line workers have suffered fatalities from electrocution, falling and even strangulation.

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8. Farmers and agricultural workers

22 deaths per 100,000

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, transportation accidents, including tractor overturns, were the leading cause of occupational fatalities among farmers in 2015.

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7. Truckers

24.3 deaths per 100,000

From fatigue to equipment failure, there are a number of risk factors facing truck drivers. In this photo from 2011, a fuel tanker near Benton, Ark., crashed and slid into a median, killing the truck's driver and spilling fuel into the road.

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6. Steelworkers

29.8 deaths per 100,000

Falls and electrocutions are both hazards of working in the steel industry. In May 2017, a 32-year-old subcontractor fell 20 feet to his death at US Steel's Great Lakes facility near Detroit.

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5. Garbage collectors

38.8 deaths per 100,000

Their trucks are built to crush, and the material they collect is swarming with bacteria. Impatient drivers have also swerved around garbage trucks and fatally injured workers.

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4. Roofers

39.7 deaths per 100,000

One misstep and a roofer could suffer a fatal fall from the top of a building.

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3. Pilots and flight engineers

40.4 deaths per 100,000

On June 30, 2017, a Cessna 310 aircraft crashed on a busy Los Angeles-area freeway. The pilot and passenger were rescued from the burning aircraft by an off-duty firefighter, whose truck was grazed by the wing as the plane hit the ground. Flight crews aren't always so lucky when something goes wrong.

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2. Fishermen

54.8 deaths per 100,000

Fishermen can easily get caught in dangerous weather conditions, fall overboard or get tangled in their own equipment, making it the second deadliest occupation in the U.S.

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1. Loggers

132.7 deaths per 100,000

Loggers deal with massive falling trees, steep terrain and heavy machinery as well as fast-changing weather conditions. At more than double the fatality rate of the fishing industry, logging is the nation's deadliest job.